Okay, I'm pretty happy with this chapter, so I really hope you guys like it. I also wanted to say how much I appreciate all the wonderful comments from everyone. I have an English degree but the only job I could get after graduating was as a bank teller. So this story is one of my outlets since my job isn't exactly creatively stimulating. I hope everyone enjoys it and please R/R! Thanks!

Later that afternoon, Eli was knocking on the door only to be answered by a newly groomed Clare.

"Hey," She said, widening the door for him.

He entered the foyer and said, "Hi."

"'Sup," a tall guy in a plaid shirt had appeared from behind her, holding a wrench.

Eli raised his eyebrows and straightened up, suddenly feeling very awkward. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I guess I should have texted to say that I was on my way."

"You're not interrupting anything," Clare smiled. "Eli, this is Jake. His dad and my mom are friends from church. He helps out around here sometimes."

"My dad sent me over to fix a leaky sink. He's a contractor. Plus, Clare used to dream about me when we were kids so she has a tendency to call me in times of need."

"I kissed you once and that was four years ago!" Jake playfully shrugged.

Eli relaxed a little. "Uh, cool. Do you go to Degrassi? I haven't seen you around."

"I only just started. We moved back here a couple weeks ago," Jake looked pensive for a moment. "Wait a second, Eli? Isn't that the guy who used to pick on you?"

"Um…" he responded.

Clare shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah…"

"That's right. He left paint ball pellets in your backpack and they busted when you dropped it on the floor."

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that one!" she exclaimed.

"Also a long time ago," Eli added quickly.

Jake nodded. "Good to see you guys finally grew out of that. How'd that happen?"

"I guess, I kind of helped Clare out of a sticky situation last night," Eli said, clearly seeing the discomfort on her face.

Jake turned to Clare, "Everything all right?"

"Yeah, Eli just pretended to be my boyfriend to keep this creep from hitting on me."

"Cool. Good man." Eli half-smiled. "Well, it's almost 4:20. I've got to get home. I've got a couple of things to do."

"See later, Jake," Clare smiled.

"Yeah, I guess I'll see you at school," Eli waved goodbye.

Clare headed towards the living room and sat down on the couch. "Thanks for covering for me. I'm just not ready to talk about it yet, at least not with anyone besides you."

He knew it was only because he was the one there when it happened, but it still made him feel kind of special. Eli reached over and placed his hand on Clare's. Neither spoke, not sure what to say. For a moment, they felt closer to one another than they ever thought possible. Then reality kicked in and they remembered who they were: Clare and Eli, two people who had spent most of their lives hating each other and had now found a peaceful existence, possibly even fondness.

They were rocked back to reality suddenly when Clare leaned too far on the remote and the TV popped on, volume blasting. "Sorry, I had it on music videos earlier."

"That's cool. I love surprises," he said and somehow, Clare found herself slightly blushing. "So a movie, then?"

"Can we watching something happy?"

"Oh no, not some stupid romantic comedy." He sat up and pointed at her. "We are not watching The Notebook!"

Clare laughed, "No, no, no. I can't stand Nicholas Sparks books anyways. I was thinking more along the Disney lines. Maybe Beauty and the Beast or The Little Mermaid?"

Eli hesitated and then sighed. "If it'll make you feel better, and I guess Belle is kinda hot."

Clare rolled her eyes and got up to get the movie. After a few minutes, Eli even joined her in a few sing-a-longs. They seemed to enjoy each other's company. Half-way through, Eli reached back to stretch and put his arm on the back of the couch, not aware of how close it was to wrapping around Clare's shoulder. He wasn't really touching her, but she still didn't move away.

When the credits began to roll, Eli sat up straight, "You hungry?"

"Probably," she said, as her stomach began to growl, almost on cue.

"When was the last time you ate?"

"I don't remember," she answered honestly.

"Well, what are you hungry for? I'll get you whatever you want," he smiled.

She pondered for a moment before saying, "Breakfast."

He looked at the clock and saw that it was now almost 5 'o clock in the afternoon. "Breakfast sounds awesome."

Moments later they were in the kitchen scattering pots and pans, trying to make eggs, waffles, hash browns, the works. They were covered in flour and oil and still throwing more on each other. The sink was filled with dirty dishes when they finally managed to sit down and eat their burnt toast, mushy scrambled eggs, and crunchy hash browns. All the butter and syrup in the world couldn't salvage the waffles.

"You know, this is probably the best meal I've ever eaten," Eli said, half-way through their five star meals.

"Mine too," Clare agreed. "You know, I don't think I ever got a chance to thank you, for, well for everything."

"Heh, it's the least I could do. I kind of made it my goal to make your life miserable for the past ten years."

"Yeah, but now that all feels like kid's stuff. Plus, I probably deserved some of it. It's kept me grounded."

"Maybe, but not all of it," Eli argued.

"No, not all of it," she smiled and agreed.

"Clare, I really feel like we could be friends," he tripped over some of the words but eventually got them out.

"I think we already are," she agreed. He smiled. "Come on, let's get these dishes done before my mom comes home and freaks out."

They started the sink and were pre-rinsing when Eli grabbed the hose and sprayed it at Clare, soaking her perfect curls.

"Eli!" She grabbed his hand and began to turn it towards his direction, drenching him, as well. They fell to the ground in fits of giggles only to realize that their faces were inches apart. They stared in one other's eyes for a moment before they both pulled away and began to stand. They were almost done loading the dish washer, as Clare turned to grab the last plate and ease the tension.

"So, I'm sure everyone at school-" but she was cut off. Eli was standing behind her while she spoke and when she turned, he grabbed her wrist and his lips pressed against hers. He held her there for just a few short moments before releasing her. His heart pounded as she stood staring at him, wide-eyed and still holding the plate. He didn't know what to do because of her lack of response. So, he did the only thing he could think of and kissed her again, this time with more force and desperation. He backed her up against the kitchen counter and the plate flew back behind her. She responded to him slightly, allowing his tongue to grace hers and holding it even longer. His hands slid around her lower back and that's when they heard the car door slam. They separated immediately.

"Shit! My mom. She'll flip if she finds out I was home alone with a boy that's not Jake. Quick, go to my room." Eli headed straight for the stairs. She heard him reach the top right as her mom unlocked the front door.

"Clarebear! I'm home."

"In here!" she called as her mom wondered in, trailing her luggage behind her. "How was grandma's?"

"Oh, you know, the same as always. We had a good time," once again her mom seemed distracted, like she didn't want to talk and changed the subject. "Did Jake come by to fix the sink?"

"Yeah, he was here earlier today."

"Oh great! Well, I am beat from that drive. I'm going to go upstairs and unpack," she said, heading towards the stairs. For the first time, Clare was actually grateful that her mom wouldn't talk to her.

"Okay, I'm just going to finish my dishes."

After she heard her mom close the bedroom door, Clare tiptoed up the stairs and headed for her room. When she walked in, Eli was nowhere to be found.

"Eli," she whispered, and saw a hand rise from behind the bed. Next his head popped up. She raised her finger to her lips and beckoned for him to come forward. "Come on."

Together, they tiptoed back down the stairs until reaching the front door. She carefully undid the lock. Eli slid through the cracked door and turned to say goodnight, but she was already closing it behind him. He turned towards the hearse and wondered what the rest of the night had to offer him.